Electrical interrupter.



H. M. SUTTON 6; W. L6; E. G. STEELE. ELECTRICAL INTERBUPTEB. APPLIGATION FILED DEC. 2. 1907.

905,11 1 5. Patented Nov. 2 .1, 1908.

INVENTORS UNITED STATES PATENT GFFTQEQ HENRY M. SUTTON, WALTER L. STEELE, AND EDWIN G. STEELE, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

ELECTRICAL INTERRUPTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Qriglnal application filed. September 24, 1904, Serial No. 225,852. Divided and this application filed December 2,

1907. Serial No. 404,76.

1 o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, IIENRY M. SUTTON, lVAL'rEP. L. STEELE, and EDWIN G. STEELE, citizens of the United States, residing at Dal as, county of Dallas, and State of Texas, have invented certain ne Y and useful Improvements in Electrical lnterrupters, comprising a division of our application filed September 24, 1904, Serial No. 225,852, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to an electrical interrupter, and particularly to a device for varying a charge of any character, and co1nprises a division of our application filed September 2t, 1904, Serial No. 225,852.

The invention has for an object to provide a rotating device capable of dividing a charge supplied for any desired purpose into a series of impulses separated by substan tially inactive intervals, and also for conveyingcharges of alternately opposite po larity to the object to be charged.

A further object of the invention is to provide means by which the variations of the impulses or the intervals between them may be adjusted or regulated relative to the material to be treated.

()ther and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims. v

In the drawing :Figure 1 is a perspectiveshowing the application of the invention to a static ore separator; Fig. 2 is a detail elevation thereof; Fig. is a side elevation with parts broken away; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective showing the arrangement for transmitting charges of opposite polarity.

Like letters refer to like parts in the sev eral figures of the drawing.

While this invention is capable of numerous applications for the purpose of varying electrical charges or currents, 'it. is there shown in connection with an electro static ore separator, such as disclosed in our application Serial No. 225,852 before mentioned. In this application of the invention, the let ter A designates a hopper which is mounted in any desired manner, and the material is fed therefrom upon the shaker pan A which is vibrated from any desired means by the strap D and thence upon the separator tray terminal C is provided and a line 9 tends therefrom to the charging electrode.

F adapted to be reciprocated laterally by the eccentric F upon the shaft F* and the connection F therewith. The lower smooth edge of this tray delivers upon the separating electrode G which may comprise a cylinder of metal or other conducting material as shown. The shaft G of this electrode is connected to ground by means of the wiper C and line C. Adjacent, to the electrode G are one or more metallic rods H provided with points H adapted to deliver a convective or brush like discharge to the electrode, while at the front thereof a division plate I is mounted and adapted to discharge into chute I, while beneath the'electrode a plate I controls the discharge into the chutes P, I. At the rear of the electrode a releasing rod l'l' 'is disposed adjacent thereto. so as to est-al'Jl-ish a circuitfrom the electrode through the line C and regulator Q to the static machine or generator C The division plate i is connected by line C to the ground.

The interrupter, as shown, comprises the parallel platesL and L each of which is provided with slots L and are mounted upon a driving shaft L so that when the terminals are opposite the slots passing through both plates or disks the charge is carried to the points, and when the solid portion of either disk is opposite said terminals no charge may pass to the points, and the separating electrode becomes inactive for separating purposes. This interrupter is connected to the generator U by means of the line C provided with the controlling switch G and the pointed terminal C which provides a brush like convective charge at one side of the plates or disks. At the opposite side thereof a similar pointed As shown by dotted lines, a line 0"" provided with switch C may be used when desired for conveying a current to the charg ing electrode without interruption.

In order to provide for the adjustment of the interrupter disks to vary the interval of charge. the disk L is fixed to the driving shaft L by set screw and collar If and rotated thereby by any desired means, while disk L is provided with tlfe collar L extended therefrom and formed in two parts separated diagonally as indicated at L in Fig. 2. The portion L carried by the disk L is loosely mounted upon the shaft L to rotate. thereon but held against longitudinal movement, while the separated portion L of the collar is free to reciprocate upon the shaft, but prevented from turning thereon by means of the key or spline L The memhers L and L of the collar areconnected 'ta'gether by suitable spring L coiled around vided with a forked portion M engagingthe section L of the collar so as to shift the same upon the driving shaft.- If the hand is effected by the relative movement of the nectedto one side of the'static machine and wheel be operated to shift the movable menu-- ber of the sleeve toward the support it will cause one disk to advance ahead of the other in its rotation. This movement of the disk diagonally disposed adjacent ends of the collar members L and L When the latter member is moved upon .the shaft it conti nues itis\ rotation and separates from the adjacentlend of the collar member L and the encircling spring connected to the members exerts a retarding tension upon the member L thus causing it to partially rotate and bringing the peak of the diagonally disposed end thereof at a difierent point upon the adjacent end of the member L and varies the relative position of the disk L to that of the disk L which is driven from the same shaft, but always in a fixed relation to the collar member. The greater the movement of the collar section from the disk L the further one disk will be moved ahead of the other, and consequently the slots throu h the two disks from one elec trical terminal to the other will be diminished in length until practically the limit is reached, as indicated in Fig. 3 where only a small opening is provided. It will be obvicus that an adjustment of the hand wheel to the opposite extreme of movement brings the slots in the disks opposite each other and thus provides the maximum opening between the terminals.- These terminals C are conprovide a brush like discharge, a fraction of which passes through the slots of the into the opposite poles of the generator and upon the other side of the disk terminals 0 are connected together and to the line C so that the alternation of charges passing .therethrough are each conducted to this line and to thecharging electrode. With this arrangement it will be obviousfthat when the slots are so adjusted as to bring both the terminals 0 and 0 into alinement through the slots with the terminals 0 a short circuiting back to the generator, will occur and the charging electrode is absolutely deprived of potential.

& ment of the disks with their slots relative to each-other the period of duration of such intervals may be varied dependent upon the uses to'which' the invention is applied. It is also apparent that the use of the pointed terminals at the opposite sides of the disks or interrupter provides a brush like discharge a portion of which will pass through the slots of the disks as the latter traverse the line of charge thus utilizing an even or high potential thereof at the peak of the wave as the disks cut out the weaker or outlying edges of the brush like discharges and utilize only the high potential thereof.

This interrupter is adaptedfor various uses in the electrical art, but particularly for producing substantially inactive intervals in an electro static charge convectively delivered to comminuted material whereby some of the particles are caused to lag in charge from that of aseparating electrode and thereby temporarily adhere thereto.

' Having described our invention and set forth its merits, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An electrical interrupter comprising opposite terminals one of whichis adapted to deliver convectively to the other, an interposed movable member constructed to de liver a series of charges se arated by inactive intervals, and means 'or varying the duration of said charges.

2. An electrical interrupter comprising a rotatable slotted disk, terminals at the op- "lac therewith, means for connecting said collars together, and means for shifting the sliding section of said collar.

5. An electrical interrupter comprising a plurality of slotted disks, a collar for one of said disks having separate sections one of which is longitudinally movable upon the driving shaft for said disks and rotatable therewith, means for connecting said collars together, a screw member having a fixed support, a traveling nut upon said screw, and a connection from said nut to said sliding section.

6. An electrical interrupter comprising a slotted disk, a driving shaft upon which said disk is secured, an opposite slotted disk havmg a collar one section of which is rotatably mounted upon said shaft and the other section slidably mounted thereon and held vagainst rotation, a spring member encircling sai ind means for shifting the sliding section )f said collar.

7 An electrical interrupter comprisin ixed terminals and an interposed rotatable member constructed and arranged to deliver series of charges separated by inactive insections and connecting them together,

tervals and having duration of said intervals.

8. An electrical interru ter comprising a slotted disk for predetermining the chargin O periods, a convectively discharging terminal at one side of said disk and means cooperating with the disk for varying the charging period there0f..

9. In an electrical interrupter, a driving shaft, a slotted disk secured thereto, a parallel slotted disk carried by said shaft, and.

means for adjusting said disks relative to each other during their rotative action.

10. In an electrical interrupter, a drivin shaft, a slotted disk secured thereto, a paralle slotted disk carried by said shaft, means for adjusting said disks relative to each other during their notative action, and pointed terminals disposed at the opposite sides of said disks.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY M. SUTTON.

WALTER L. STEELE.

EDVVIN'G. STEELE. Witnesses:

C. O. EoENs, H. R. PERKINS.

means for varying the 

